I’m doing some gravel fondos this season that are half gravel and half road. I was thinking about aero bars but I don’t want a long aero bar on the front of my bike.
I’m wondering if something like the RideFarr or the Deda Blast. Are they worth the cost and effort?
I’ve got the Farr aero long and I like it. More hand positions for long gravel rides. Also aero and doesn’t stick out past the hoods.
I have a pair of these (mine were called Prime Noosa – I think it was a house brand of Wiggle / Chain Reaction Cycles, which is apparently now defunct). I am happy with them. They are definitely an aero advantage over other handlebar positions, but not as much of an advantage as full size aero bars. Effectively, it lets you get into a position that is similar to the UCI-banned puppy paws position (low and narrow front end), with greater control. They are great if I’m eating wind when bridging up to another group or if I get dropped.
One consideration when selecting them is whether risers are available, so you can get your forearms to the right height for comfort. Another consideration is whether they will restrict the usability of your Garmin/Wahoo mount.
Once you get them mounted, you will want to spend a lot of time riding with them to get used to the position, before you need to use them in a race or fondo.
Depends on your goals.
There are definitely aero gains to be had by using them but you have to train in that position to maximize the gains. Quite a few videos in Youtube about this (which often include other aero stuff like hydration packs, bottle placement, clothing choices).
And sometimes the extra hand position is nice to have.
I would firmly err on the side of something slightly more substantial if you can. If the idea is just to give you a different position to make puppy paws easier, just put some tape pads on your tops. If you want to stay in them for any extended period of time then you’ll immediately find proper pads are worth the weight.
I would go full bars.
Do any of the major gravel races enforce ITU-style rules (aero bar cannot extend beyond the hoods)? I haven’t looked.
Stubby aero bars should give you a bit more control on gravel vs puppy-paws.
Yes maybe but I feel like the point of these things is when you don’t need control. Like I’m either chugging miles away in the tt bars or I am cornering / descending. The intermediate position seems the worst of both rather than the best?
Possibly true. The stubby bars are definitely a compromise - less aero than full bars and safer than puppy paws. They might require less training/fit adjustment/etc to get comfy vs full length extensions. The last time I ran full-length extensions on a road bike, the fit/comfort was… not optimal.
